Helpless
by RedJeyne
Summary: Once again, any plans to retake their home have fallen apart before they could even begin, and Viserys must turn to the only person left in his life. [Pre-A Game of Thrones]


Daenerys Targaryen lay curled up in her bed, clutching her doll to her chest. Viserys was in the room next door, arguing with the men that were supposed to be helping them get home. Voices were raised, and she heard a fist slam down on the table. She buried her head under the flimsy pillow, hoping it would block out the sounds. She didn't want things to go wrong again. She didn't want to have to leave again. It wasn't that nice here, but she had gotten used to it. And there was a sweets vendor just across the street, and sometimes, if she was good, Viserys would buy sweets for them to share.

"Why won't anyone help us?" She whispered to the raggedy doll in her arms. Of course, the doll didn't answer. It stared back up at her with uncaring eyes, and for a second, she hated that doll. She hated the doll for being like everyone else in the whole world. No one listened and no one cared. She moved to fling the wretched thing across the room.

But that was wrong. Viserys had bought her this doll. She dropped it onto the bed. It had been a nameday present last year, for her eighth nameday. The first nameday present he had ever gotten her. The first nameday he hadn't yelled at her. The first nameday he hadn't hit her, or called her a kinslayer.

Daenerys felt herself starting to tear up, but she held her sobs at bay. She was the blood of the dragon, after all. If she cried, Viserys would get angry. After all, what did she have to cry about? She didn't even know what she had lost. She had no right to cry while her brother was forced to stay strong.

Something smashed in the next room over. It sounded like a plate, perhaps. She heard the men storming out, and the door slam. A few moments later, the door to her bedroom was thrown open. She tensed up. After such an argument, Viserys would no doubt be in a foul temper. She would have to be careful not to make it worse. Perhaps if she lay very still, he would think she was asleep and just leave.

Viserys sat on the edge of her bed and was silent for a moment. Then he grabbed her arm and pulled her up into a sitting position. "Why!?" He snarled at her, his fingers digging into her arm. "Why does everyone lie?"

"Viserys… You're hurting me." Dany spoke quietly. Her brother didn't even acknowledge that she had spoken.

"No one can be trusted. They all lie. No one will help us." Viserys was muttering, perhaps more to himself than to her. He squeezed her arm tighter and yanked it so that she ended up with her face inches from his. "Am I not a King!?"

"You… Of course you are." Dany whispered. He was scaring her. In this mood, he could easily turn his rage on her. "Please let go… It hurts…" He released her very suddenly, and slumped over so she could not see his face. He stayed like that, not moving, for what felt like minutes to Dany. Finally, she plucked up the courage to place a hand on his shoulder. "V-Viserys? Are you alright?"

It happened so quickly that it took Dany a moment to realise what was going on. Viserys had pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his head in her shoulder. And he was crying. The strangled sobs came as such a shock to Dany that she couldn't react. She could not remember the last time Viserys had cried in front of her. Perhaps he never had. In that moment, she felt horrible for being scared of her brother. Just as he was all she had in the world, she was the only one who could be there for him. He was just as alone, just as scared as her. Moving awkwardly in his tight embrace, she wrapped one arm around him as best she could.

"I am a King," He whispered finally. "But King of what? What good is being a King of no one, a King of nothing? What good is it?"

"You…." Dany fumbled for the right words. "You aren't king of no one. Y-you're my King. And you're the King of the whole Seven Kingdoms. You said so yourself. They're waiting for us. For you."

Viserys didn't answer. He held her, his silent sobs wracking his body. Dany tried to think of something else to say, something to raise his spirits, but her mind was blank. Even now, when her brother needed her more than anything, she couldn't help him at all. So she did the only thing she could do, and let him hold her and cry.

Eventually, it seemed her brother's tears had run out. Yet even when his sobs had stopped, he didn't release her from his embrace. "I'm sorry." He croaked, so quietly that Dany thought perhaps she had misheard him. "I'm sorry, Dany. I can't take us home."

Dany hesitated before speaking. "That isn't… You shouldn't apologise." Her face was half buried in his chest, so her voice was slightly muffled, but she still tried to sound strong for him. "It's their fault. The people who lied. They betrayed you."

Again there was silence. He seemed to be calming down, and eventually he loosened his grasp. With trembling hands, he pulled away from her, and looked down at her with tear stained eyes. "Am I truly your king, Daenerys?" His voice was rough from crying.

"Y-yes, of course you are." She nodded forcefully, to show him how seriously she took what she said.

"You, at least, will never betray me, then? No matter what happens, you will remain loyal to me, right?" Dany nodded again. Viserys was all she had in this world. How could she ever betray him? "Do you swear it? Swear to me that you will always remain loyal, that you will always be on my side." He was speaking more forcefully now, starting to sound a bit like his usual self.

"I… I swear it, Viserys. You're my brother, and my King. I swear I will stay loyal to you forever." She spoke the words solemnly. It was not an oath to be taken lightly, after all.

"Good." He smiled slightly, a weak and sad looking smile. "At least I have you. We'll find better help than those traitorous sell-swords. We'll… We'll think of something." He stood up, nodding to himself. "Go to sleep now, Dany. There's nothing to worry about." He spoke as though she had been the one crying, and he had had to comfort her.

"Good night, Viserys." She spoke quietly.

"Good night, Dany." He smiled, looking more like his usual self, and leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Everything will be fine. You'll see. Everyone will see." He nodded again to himself, and returned to his own bed. But no matter how much he acted like it would be fine, Dany knew. She knew he needed her.

"Don't worry," She whispered into her pillow, quietly enough that Viserys wouldn't overhear. "I'll never betray you. I swear, I'll always be here to help you, no matter what."


End file.
